Sehwag's knee problems keep India on tenterhooks

Opener Virender Sehwag's knee injury will keep India on tenterhooks as the co-hosts aim to end Australia's World Cup domination with a quarter-final victory on Thursday.

Sehwag missed India's last Group B match against West Indies on Sunday following an allergic reaction to an injection on his right knee but more than one billion home fans will want him to show up against Australia as he has the ability to blunt their formidable pace attack.

However, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni could not announce him fit for what is a repeat of the 2003 final.

"On Viru (Sehwag) we are taking a call late in the evening or tomorrow morning before the start of the game," Dhoni told reporters on Wednesday.

Australia's aura of World Cup invincibility was punctured by Pakistan when they beat the four-times champions on Saturday, ending a 34-match unbeaten run.

However, while that defeat did not have much riding on it since it was a round-robin match, a loss on Thursday will mean Australia will not feature in a World Cup final for the first time since 1992.

Determined to avoid suffering that fate, Ricky Ponting will let loose his battery of pacemen, who will literally aim high at the Indian batsmen's body.

In Australia's last match at the same venue, the pacemen -- Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson -- crushed Zimbabwe by 91 runs with the trio claiming seven of the 10 wickets.

At the same time, Ponting's men can expect the co-hosts to spin a web around their batsmen with a combination of their frontline and part-timer tweakers.

"No doubt we rely on our fast bowlers to take the wickets and India are probably the exact opposite of that," Ponting, seeking a hat-trick of World Cup titles as captain, told reporters.

"We could be facing 30 overs of spin bowling and they will probably... face 30 overs of fast bowling."

Thursday's quarter-final, in all likelihood will be the last World Cup appearance for either Ponting or Sachin Tendulkar -- the two most prolific run-scorers in international cricket.

While the 36-year old Ponting is battling a slump in form, the Indian batting maestro, 37, has been in a rich vein of form with already two centuries in the tournament.

The partisan crowd at the 48,000-strong Sardar Patel Stadium will throng the stands with two wishes -- Tendulkar gets to his 100th ton in international cricket and India set up a semi-final clash with Pakistan in Mohali.

"It is a big advantage. You have 30,000-40,000 people coming on to the ground to cheer for you. If they are cheering for you then it definitely makes a difference," Dhoni said.

Source http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/sports/sehwag%60s-knee-problems-keep-india-tenterhooks_531574.html

Former players criticise Randiv for deliberate no ball

Suraj Randiv’s deliberate no-ball to Virender Sehwag, which denied the Indian opener a hundred in their tri-series ODI match last night, came in for sharp criticism by former players who felt the Sri Lankan spinner’s antics were “unsporting and unpardonable“.

While iconic all-rounder and former World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev chose to remain mum on the issue, others such as Syed Kirmani and Ajit Wadekar felt Randiv’s actions have set a bad precedent.

“On certain things, I do not want to react. It is not worth talking about. Some players are playing the game in their own ways. To me, it is important that India won the match. Sehwag deserves appreciation for the manner in which he handled the situation in scoring the 99-run knock,” Kapil told PTI.

Former stumper Kirmani said cricket’s reputation as a gentleman’s game is getting tarnished due to acts such as these.

“These days, no team appreciates an opponent’s good knock or good work with the ball. The game is played like a war between the teams. It is not in the spirit of the gentlemanly game,” Kirmani said.

“Sehwag was magnanimous in his comments. To many followers of the game, including myself, it looked like unsporting behaviour by Randiv. I would not have done it. Randiv was bowling well and he is a capable bowler. He had the ability to take Sehwag’s wicket and delay the proceedings instead of bowling a no ball,” he added.

A disgusted Sehwag later criticised Randiv in the post-match press conference but the matter seems to have been settled amicably after Sri Lanka Cricket and Randiv offered apologies for the incident.

But Kirmani felt such unsporting acts should not be forgiven.

“I do not know whether it was a team strategy, if it is, it is an unpardonable act,” he said.

Former all-rounder Madan Lal and ex-captain Ajit Wadekar echoed the sentiment. “It’s not cricket. That’s not fair, not done in cricket. But a no-ball is a no-ball and the umpire had to declare it. It comes first and the ball becomes dead. Poor chap, Sehwag. He deserved a hundred,” said Wadekar.

“I do not like teams to behave like that in matches. To me, it looked like a deliberate attempt. I appreciate Sehwag for the bold manner in which he remained not out to give India the important victory. However, Suraj Randiv’s actions were in bad taste and it could affect the future matches of tri-series,” felt Madan Lal.

“It is definitely unsporting behaviour. I don’t know whether Sangakkara has done it or the bowler did it purposefully. In my opinion they should not have done it,” Madan Lal said.

Former chief selector Chandu Borde, however, felt the Lankans should not be singled out for criticism as all teams have employed such tactics, including India.

“No team wants to allow a batsman to cross the century mark and all the teams in the world have succeeded on number of occasions in denying the batsman of a century. Even we Indians have followed this and never gave a freedom for the batsman to set a mark. It was a brilliant knock by Sehwag, he deserves all accolades,” he said.

“I would not say it as ‘not cricket’ Some people are generous to a fault but others, like the Australians, won’t give you an easy hundred to take. There can be two opinions on this; whether Sri Lanka were unsporting or not.

“I remember (In Delhi in 1958-59 series) against the West Indies I had scored a century (109) in the first innings and was 96 batting in the second with (fast bowler Roy) Gilchrist repeatedly bowling bouncers at me. When two balls remained non-striker Vijay Manjrekar came and told me you have to get to the century. I hooked the next ball, it went for a four but I disturbed my wicket and was hit-wicket,” he recalled.

“In the same match, we didn’t allow Gary Sobers to get to his double hundred when he was on 199. It’s part of the game.

We Indians have also adopted such strategies. Even local cricket in India is played in that manner,” he said.

Former left arm spinner Bapu Nadkarni felt the six hit by Sehwag off the no ball should have counted.

“The decision of the umpires is puzzling to me. A no-ball is bowled and the match is declared as over. Hypothetically speaking if Sehwag plays a shot and a run-out occurs, then what happens? How do you say the match is over and the ball is dead? It was not dead when Sehwag hit a six.

“I am not an expert on the rules but the no-ball is there to be taken advantage of by the batsman and Sehwag did it,” he opined.

Source http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/article575847.ece